1[intransitive,transitive]to become wider; to make something widerHer eyes widened in surprise.widen into somethingHere the stream widens into a river.widen somethingThey may have to widen the road to cope with the increase in traffic.

2[intransitive,transitive]to become larger in degree or range; to make something larger in degree or rangethe widening gap between rich and poorwiden somethingWe plan to widen the scope of our existing activities by offering more language courses.The legislation will be widened to include all firearms.

Word FamilywideadjectiveadverbwidelyadverbwidenverbwidthnounExtra examplesJasmine’s eyes widened with disbelief.The gap between rich and poor has widened considerably.The road gradually widens out.The road widens out and becomes a dual carriageway.The trade deficit had widened from £26 billion to £30 billion.Another concern is the widening gap between rich and poor.